A mother can be powerful, inspirational, nurturing and loving, offering her child support, love and being a role model. Mothers are often expected to do all of this alongside juggling careers, daily challenges and multitasking.
I spoke to four exceptional women artists in Skylark Galleries London about how they juggle being an artist with motherhood, other careers and creativity.
“As mothers we nurture, as artists we translate our nurturing through our hands into creativity subconsciously.“ - Helen Trevisiol Duff
Sarah Knight: "outstanding role model"
Sarah Knight group exhibition
Seascape in Lismer Blue by Sarah Knight £420
Sarah is not only a talented painter and printmaker but also is an incredible organiser! She is a key part of the team running our gallery on a daily basis, keeping the finances in check, tackling any problems and is a leaseholder. She takes her responsibilities very seriously and is recognised within our team at Skylark Galleries as an outstanding role model. She's super organised and a beautiful person inside and out. She spends her day organising family life alongside other very demanding roles in the Arts in Ealing.
Sarah is a mother of two and balances her diverse roles brilliantly. What an inspiration to us all. Sarah gives us a very poignant insight into her life... She's incredible!
“Being a mother to two girls, and being an artist is a very particular fine line. Many mothers juggle home, family and work. Many could relate to the choice of running your own business, which as a practising artist you are.
The scheduling of your own business provides an opportunity to do more, create more, answer those emails, compete more, work that extra hour at the end of the day because you are constantly trying to develop it.
These are stories in some form running through most households across the globe. How to juggle, how to succeed in your personal life and your work life. How to live without guilt at your choices and priorities.
"For me there is another dimension to this internal dialogue, because I grew up without a mother. That has shaped who I am in so many different ways. I made a conscious decision when I had children to ‘be there’ for them. When they were both very small I put my art almost entirely on the back burner. That was my choice and I’m happy that I made it. But art is a massive part of who I am.
"Now they are a bit older I do spend more time developing my art, both in actually creating but also exhibiting and promoting it. I think it’s good to show them a work ethic, perseverance and ambition.
"But being an artist I want to teach them something more, just how precious being creative, purely for the sake of it, really is. When I draw or paint, I find it’s a kind of intense concentration, without any direct thought. A state of mind and focus that connects you to yourself and the moment. It’s fulfilling and nurturing and I believe leads to increased awareness and acceptance of the self. Every time I encourage my daughters to pick up a pencil or a brush, every time I answer one of their questions about what I’m making and how I’m doing it, I hope I am leading them to the same discoveries and building their confidence to create and realise the innate value of their own creativity."
